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The rudra veena () (also spelled rudraveena or rudra vīnā), also called the bīn in North India, is a large plucked string instrument used in Hindustani music, especially dhrupad. It is one of the major types of veena played in Indian classical music, notable for its deep bass resonance. Oral tradition ascribes the instrument to Shiva, the principal deity within Hinduism.
The rudra veena is seen in temple architecture predating the Mughal Empire. It is also mentioned in court records as early as the reign of Zain-ul Abidin (1418–1470), and attained particular importance among Mughal Empire court musicians. Before independence, rudra veena players, as dhrupad practitioners, were supported by the ; after independence and the political integration of India, this traditional patronage system ended. With the end of this traditional support, dhrupad's popularity in India declined, as did the popularity of the rudra veena. However, in recent years, the rudra veena has seen a resurgence in popularity, driven at least partly by interest among non-Indian musicians.
The North Indian vernacular name "bīn" (sometimes written "bīṇ") is derived from the preexisting root "veena," the term generally used today to refer to a number of South Asian stringed instruments. While the origins of "veena" are obscure, one possible derivation is from a pre-Aryan root meaning "bamboo" (possibly Dravidian, as in the Tamil veṟam, "cane," or South Indian bamboo flute, the venu), a reference to early stick or tube zithers—as seen in the modern bīn, whose central dandi tube is still sometimes made from bamboo.
Traditionally, the bottom end of the dandi, where the strings attach below the bridge ( jawari), is finished with a peacock carving. This peacock carving is hollow, to enhance the resonance of the instrument.Koch, Lars-Christian (direction). Rudra vina: der Bau eines nordindischen Saiteninstruments in der Tradition von Kanailal & Bros Rudra (DVD) (in English with German and English subtitles). Berlin: Ethnologisches Museum, Staatliche Museen Preussischer Kulturbesitz. 2007. OCLC 662735435. This hollow opens into the tube of the dandi , and is covered directly by the main jawari . The other end of the instrument, holding most or all of the pegs, is finished with a carved makara. Like the peacock at the other end and the dandi'' tube connecting them, the makara pegbox is also hollow. The rudra veena has twenty-one to twenty-four moveable frets ( parda) on top of the dandi. These frets are made of thin plates of brass with flat tops but curved wooden bases to match the shape of the dandi, each about two to four centimeters (0.75–1.5 inches) high. While these frets were once attached to the instrument with wax, contemporary veena players use waxed flax ties to attach the frets. This allows for players to adjust the frets to the individual microtones ( shruti) of a raga. By pulling the string up or down alongside the fret, the veena player can bend the pitch (meend) by as much as a fifth.
A modern rudra veena has a total of seven or eight strings: four main melody strings, two or three chikari strings (which are used in rhythmic sections of the rag to delineate or emphasize the pulse, or taal), and one drone ( laraj) string. These strings are made of steel or bronze, and run from the pegs (and over the nut if coming from the pegbox) down to the peacock, passing over the jawari near the peacock. A rudra veena will have three jawari; a main one covering an opening on the hollow peacock, and two smaller ones on the sides of the peacock, supporting the chikari and drone strings. These jawari and other strings supports are traditionally made of Sambar deer antler; however, India has banned trade in Sambar deer antler since 1995, due to the deer's declining population and vulnerable status.Timmins, R. J.; Kawanishi, K.; Giman, B.; Lynam, A. J.; Chan, B.; Steinmetz, R.; Baral, H. S.; Samba Kumar, N. (2015). " Rusa unicolor". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015: e.T41790A85628124. Strings are tuned by turning the ebony pegs to tighten or loosen the strings; the antler string supports can be moved for fine tuning.
Unlike European stringed instruments, where strings are almost always tuned to the same notes on all instruments—a modern cello, for example, will usually have its open strings tuned to C2 (two below middle C), followed by G2, D3, and then A3—the rudra veena follows Hindustani classical practice of a movable root note or tonic (moveable do). The four melody strings are tuned to the ma a fifth below the tonic; the tonic ( sa); the pa a fifth above the tonic; and the sa an octave above the tonic. Thus, if the lowest ma string was tuned to D2, then the four melody strings would be tuned to D2, A2, E3, and A3; if the lowest ma string was instead tuned to B1, then the four melody strings would be tuned to B1, F2, C3, and F3
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